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Protection from Smallpox
Edward Jenner discovered a way to protect people from smallpox by exposing them to cowpox, another virus. This helped us advance in knowing that our bodies can create our own immunity to things when exposed to them. This helped us understand immunity. -
Blood Transfusion
James Blundell performed the first successful transfusion of human blood to a patient for the treatment of postpartum hemorrhage. This was our first successful human to human transfusion. This is important to us now because blood transfusions happen everyday. We learned how to cure a multitude of humans due to this. -
Antiseptic Surgery
Joseph Lister published Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery. Lister was convinced of the need for cleanliness in the operating room. He develops antiseptic surgical methods, using carbolic acid to clean wounds and surgical instruments. This is one of the most important advances. Many people would die being operated on due to horrible surgical hygiene. This advancement is still being used today. -
Germ Theory
Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch established the germ theory. According to germ theory, a specific disease is caused by a specific organism. After this theory was developed everything was changed for the better, we were able to create vaccinations for multiple diseases just because of our understanding of germs and what germs result in which diseases. -
Cholera Vaccine
Cholera was a disease that would kill almost anyone infected. In untreated cases the death rate is high, averaging 50%. This vaccine was a miracle to have. Having this advancement made gave many people security knowing that scientist were figuring out germs and the effect. This advancement could be considered the start of multiple different vaccines. -
Anthrax Vaccine
Anthrax was a disease of animals that can be secondarily transmitted to humans. This was caused by a bacteria, bacillus which produces toxins that kill cells and cause fluid to accumulate in the body's tissues. This disease killed many people and the vaccine was another great way to help doctors and scientist on their discoveries and advancements. This vaccine created a pathway for other bacteria related diseases. -
Discovery of X rays
German physicist, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovers X rays. X rays are vital in our day to day life. Discovering X rays has helped multiple other medical applications such as how to cure a broken or fractured bone. X rays are used in multiple jobs today from a dentist to a simple truck stop scanning the different loads. -
Plague Vaccine
The Plague was discovered in 1894, it is a epidemic disease, a bacterium that typically is transmitted to people by fleas from rodents and can be transmitted through any physical contact. This was an extreme epidemic during its time and before the vaccine. After the vaccine people were cured and the world could calm down. Any disease causes panic but due to how easy the Plague was transmitted, it was considered and was a huge deal. -
Developing Aspirin (Pain Relievers)
Felix Hoffman developed aspirin. The juice from willow tree bark had been used as early as 400 BC to relieve pain. Scientists knew that it was the salicylic acid in the willow that made it work, but it irritated the lining of the mouth and stomach. Although this medicine can mess up stomach linings it has been improved and with the appropriate dose, everything will be fine. Hoffman synthesizes acetyl salicylic acid, developing what is now the most widely used medicine in the world. -
Insulin used for Diabetes
Insulin is a hormone made by an organ located behind the stomach called the pancreas. A person with diabetes is injected with insulin to regulate their blood sugar levels. Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered the hormone insulin in pancreatic extracts of dogs, they injected the hormone into a diabetic dog and found that it effectively lowered the dog's blood glucose levels to normal. Many people were dying due to diabetes and finding a prevention to this was an amazing advancement.